Greaves’ ban extended to four years

Just when Alanzo Greaves was planning to re-launch his career after serving a one year ban for a doping offence, the Guyanese rider received the dreaded news on Monday that he will have to serve an additional three years.

This new development was revealed by Dr. Karen Pilgrim, a Doping Control Officer, who explained that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) had appealed the initial 12-month period of ineligibility handed down to Greaves by the Caribbean Regional Anti- Doping Organization (RADO) Results Management Committee (RMC) in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland.

It is understood that WADA won its case after the CAS upheld the appeal filed on June 20, 2016 on the grounds that the “athlete should have been sanctioned with a four-year period of ineligibility rather than only one year.”

“The Caribbean RADO has accepted the ruling of the CAS on the Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) case in the matter of cyclist Alanzo Greaves. Having already served one year, the Caribbean RADO therefore implements the CAS decision to ban Greaves for a further period of three years effective from January 5, 2017 until January 4, 2020,” a Caribbean RADO press release stated.

The CAS found Greaves guilty of ADRV in accordance with Article 2.1 of the World Anti-Doping Code, during his participation in the Tour of Guyana Five-Stage Cycle Road Race in November 2015.

Greaves’ urine sample returned an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF), that is, a positive test, for the prohibited substance Testosterone. Further analysis of the urine sample by the WADA accredited laboratory reported a testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio greater than 25, thus confirming the substance testosterone or its metabolites was exogenously derived, that is not naturally produced by his body.

In addition, the release mentioned that any results, prizes, medals etc. obtained during the periods of ineligibility are to be forfeited.

After serving the one year ban, Greaves returned to competitive cycling late last year, winning the final event of the season. He started 2017 in fine fashion, winning the first race last Saturday at the National Park.